Junior Dos Santos Thought He ‘Was Going To Win’ After Landing Leg Kicks

Although their rematch, which took place in the main event of last night’s (May 13, 2017) UFC 211 from Dallas, Texas, didn’t last too long, Stipe Miocic and Junior Dos Santos both saw moments of success.

In fact, Dos Santos felt as if he had Miocic in some trouble early on.

After landing a few vicious kicks flush on Miocic’s leg, Dos Santos thought his plan was ‘working’. The former titleholder even felt as if he was ‘going to win’:

“I’m very disappointed, not because he won the fight, but because I lost,” Dos Santos told MMAJunkie. “I didn’t do any mistakes. Actually, everything was working very well. I know he walks forward all the time. And I like to walk backward and enjoy the opportunities that my opponents give me. I was throwing some hard kicks, and they were working very well until – I remember, the last kick I threw at him, he felt a lot. And I felt I did well. ‘Now I have to move.’ And then I don’t remember anymore.

“After the third kick, I felt happy in my heart. I said, ‘Man, it’s working; I’m going to win.’ And then, you know – heavyweights.”

As Dos Santos mentioned, however, anything can happen in a fight between two heavyweights. Despite showing some signs of damage from the leg kicks, Miocic charged forward before landing a picture perfect right hand that sent JDS crashing to the canvas.

While “Cigano” admitted that he was ‘sad’ with how the fight turned out, he said that he was ‘glad’ that a fighter like Miocic had heavyweight gold strapped around his waist:

“I didn’t do any mistakes; it was on him,” Dos Santos said. “He did very well, actually. Heavyweights, man. I’m sad, of course. I’d like to win this. I’d like to become the champion again. But if I’m not the champion, I’m glad this guy is the champion. He’s a really nice guy. I still think the same. He deserves that. And tonight was his night.

“That’s the heavyweight division. I think I’ve already made many men feel like that. It’s terrible. I was prepared. I am prepared. And I had a lot to give there. And everything was working very well, the way we expected. We know he’s a tough guy who would walk forward all the time.”

With the victory, Miocic tied the all-time record for most consecutive title defenses in the heavyweight division with two. With five straight T/KO victories under his belt, however, Miocic seems poised for greatness and Dos Santos agrees:

“It’s going to take a lot,” Dos Santos said. “This guy is the real deal, like I said during the week. He’s doing very well. He has really heavy hands. The way I see it, he’s going to continue to grow in this division … and become one of the greatest.”

Who would you like to see Miocic defend his title against next?